ECOS DE TIERRA ADENTRO (EDTA) - Comunicación alternativa, fiel y fidedigna | World newshttp://edta.radioteca.net/rss/category/world-news/esThu, 20 Nov 2008 06:11:15 -0300Bolivia's Morales Diplomatic, Defiant in Visit to D.C.http://edta.radioteca.net/article/bolivias-morales-diplomatic-defiant-in-visit-to-dc/
<p><span class="caps">WASHINGTON</span>, Thursday, November 20th, 2008 (<span class="caps">EDTA</span>) &#8211; Evo Morales, the charismatic but controversial president of Bolivia, this week came to Washington for the first time, saying he hoped for a fresh start with President-elect Barack Obama while defiantly reiterating the policies that have led to the near-collapse of his relations with the Bush administration. </p>
<p>Morales, who did not meet with any administration officials here, recently ordered all U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents to leave Bolivia, a major grower of coca plants that produce cocaine. He also expelled the U.S. ambassador, accusing the envoy of conspiring with his opponents. The Bush administration, in turn, expelled Bolivia&#8217;s ambassador, suspended trade preferences and withdrew all Peace Corps volunteers from the poor Andean country. </p>
<p>Given that acrimonious official backdrop, and the deep antagonism Morales&#8217;s presidency has stirred among the large Bolivian immigrant community here, his two-day visit to the capital was an odd combination of symbolic goodwill gestures and harsh rhetoric, cheering students and angry demonstrators. </p>
<p>In speeches at the Organization of American States and American University, as well as in meetings with the news media, Morales stated adamantly that he would not allow U.S. drug agents back into Bolivia, saying they had been used for &#8220;political vengeance&#8221; against him. On the other hand, he said he had made serious efforts to curb drug trafficking while protecting small coca farmers as the longtime head of the Bolivian coca growers&#8217; association. </p>
<p>&#8220;We are all obliged to fight against narco-trafficking. We know that cocaine hurts humanity, but coca leaf is not poison,&#8221; he told a gathering of Latin American diplomats yesterday at <span class="caps">OAS</span> headquarters. &#8220;Even a superpower,&#8221; he added, does not have the right to punish or spy on another government &#8220;on the pretext of fighting narco-trafficking.&#8221; </p>
<p>Morales also dismissed critics who portray him as a stooge of leftist Latin American leaders, such as Cuba&#8217;s Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, and described himself as a strong believer in democracy. He noted that his 2005 election as Bolivia&#8217;s first indigenous president had been ratified in a referendum in August, and he touted his proposed new constitution as an effort to create an egalitarian state where private property would be respected but public services would be a &#8220;human right.&#8221; </p>
<p>Morales, 48, was cheered by an overflow crowd at American University on Tuesday night when, in a rambling and often emotional talk, he recounted his rise from a childhood of rural poverty to the leadership of an indigenous majority that had long been &#8220;hated, humiliated and discriminated against.&#8221; But yesterday, he was jeered by a crowd of protesters outside the <span class="caps">OAS</span>, whose chants and placards called him a communist dictator, drug trafficker and puppet of Chávez. Most participants were middle-class Bolivian immigrants, including some from Santa Cruz, the wealthy lowland city that has been a focal point of opposition to Morales. </p>
<p>The increasingly ugly conflict between the Bolivian government and its domestic adversaries has led to a series of violent confrontations. The split has pitted Morales against some provincial governors, large landowners and most major private newspapers and TV stations. </p>
<p>&#8220;We are here to denounce what Evo is doing to our democracy, to our freedom of the press, to our constitution, to our human rights,&#8221; Elena Abolnik, a Bolivian immigrant and activist from Northern Virginia, shouted into a bullhorn as Morales&#8217;s limousine, flanked by Secret Service vehicles, arrived at the ornate <span class="caps">OAS</span> building. </p>
<p>Administration officials had no comment on Morales&#8217;s visit. The Bolivian president said he did not meet with any advisers to Obama, but he did visit several U.S. lawmakers, who reportedly quizzed him on his expulsion of U.S. Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg and the U.S. drug agency. However, several prominent lawmakers also sought to publicly mend fences with Morales, who came to Washington after giving a speech Monday at the United Nations. </p>
<p>Morales said he and Obama had much in common as emerging leaders of long-oppressed groups in their respective countries. &#8220;Who would have believed 10 or 15 years ago that I could become president of Bolivia? Who would have believed 20 or 30 years ago that a black man could become president of the United States?&#8221; he said to the <span class="caps">OAS</span> special session, speaking in Spanish. </p>
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<p>Source: Washingtonpost</p>
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:11:15 -0300http://edta.radioteca.net/article/bolivias-morales-diplomatic-defiant-in-visit-to-dc/Bolivia Requests US Extradite Former President, 2 Ex-Ministershttp://edta.radioteca.net/article/bolivia-requests-us-extradite-former-president-2-e/
<p><span class="caps">WASHINGTON</span>, Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 (<span class="caps">EDTA</span>) &#8211; Bolivia on Monday asked the U.S. to extradite a former Bolivian president and two of his ministers to face charges of genocide and fraud, the Bolivian Embassy in Washington said.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve formally presented a legal extradition request for (ex-president) Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and Carlos Sanchez Barzain (ex-defense minister), and Jorge Berindoague (ex-oil minister),&#8221; the embassy&#8217;s charge d&#8217;affaires Erika Dueñas said.</p>
<p>Sanchez de Lozada resigned in October 2003 &#8211; 14 months after taking office &#8211; after massive, violent demonstrations against his plan to sell natural gas to foreign countries through Chile, with which Bolivia has a century-old border dispute.</p>
<p>He resigned after some 65 people died in clashes between demonstrators and security forces who were ordered to clear the roads for oil and gas tanker trucks.</p>
<p>Some of the demonstrations were led by current Bolivian President Evo Morales, who at the time was a powerful union leader.</p>
<p>Victims of the clashes have filed lawsuits against Sanchez de Lozada and his ministers in U.S. courts and a federal judge in Miami is at present deciding whether the three men should face charges in the U.S.</p>
<p>The three former officials are also undergoing trial in Bolivia&#8217;s Supreme Court on charges of genocide, fraud and constitutional violations.</p>
<p>Sanchez de Lozada&#8217;s lawyer Howard Gutman dismissed Bolivia&#8217;s extradition request as &#8220;groundless,&#8221; saying it was part of Morales&#8217; campaign offensive against whom he considers &#8220;his political enemies.&#8221;</p>
<p>Gutman said his client&#8217;s actions in 2003 against Bolivia&#8217;s social rebellion &#8220; were constitutional, legal and appropriate&#8230;none of his actions constitute extraditable offenses.&#8221;</p>
<p>The lawyer said the U.S. State Department at the time also concluded the Bolivian army&#8217;s response to the demonstrations in 2003 was, in his words, &#8220;not only legal but responsible.&#8221;</p>
<p>Sanchez de Lozada moved to the U.S. after his resignation. </p>
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<p>Source: <span class="caps">AFP</span></p>
Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:11:30 -0300http://edta.radioteca.net/article/bolivia-requests-us-extradite-former-president-2-e/US cuts off trade benefits to Boliviahttp://edta.radioteca.net/article/us-cuts-off-trade-benefits-to-bolivia/
<p><span class="caps">PUERTO</span> <span class="caps">VALLARTA</span>, Mexico, Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 (<span class="caps">EDTA</span>) —Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the U.S. is suspending a trade deal with Bolivia.</p>
<p>Rice says the suspension is unfortunate. But she says Bolivian President Evo Morales has failed to improve Bolivia&#8217;s anti-drug efforts.</p>
<p>She made the comments Thursday during a visit to the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta.</p>
<p>The announcement came as Bolivian envoys arrived at the U.S. Trade Representative&#8217;s office in Washington to lobby for their country&#8217;s continued participation in a regional trade pact. It rewards Andean nations for cooperating with U.S. anti-narcotics efforts.</p>
<p>Bolivia&#8217;s government has said the suspension will cost 20,000 Bolivian jobs and $150 million a year.</p>
<p>Source: AP</p>
Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:10:36 -0300http://edta.radioteca.net/article/us-cuts-off-trade-benefits-to-bolivia/PARAGUAY PRESIDENT ON VISIT TO URUGUAYhttp://edta.radioteca.net/article/paraguay-president-on-visit-to-uruguay/
<p><span class="caps">MONTEVIDEO</span>, Uruguay, Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 (EDTA/PL) &#8211; Paraguayan President-elect Fernando Lugo will travel to this capital Tuesday invited by his Uruguayan counterpart Tabare Vazquez.</p>
<p>According to diplomatic sources both leaders will tackle issues of bilateral interest and functioning of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) both nations are member along with Argentina and Brazil.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are united by many things, including difficulties, but also we are united by hope and we want to share and defeat the problems,&#8221; said Lugo on occasion of a recent visit of Uruguayan foreign minister Gonzalo Fernandez to Asuncion.</p>
<p>During his stay in Paraguay they fixed details of the ex bishop&#8217;s agenda of his first visit to another country after April 20 general elections.</p>
<p>Lugo, who will assume his post on August 15, is also interested in learning about the experiences of the ruling Wide Front in a transition process like the one that has happened in Uruguay after the electoral victory of that progressive coalition force in October 2004.</p>
<p>Lugo will possibly attend the 14th Sao Paulo Forum that will be held here between Thursday and Sunday, said Prensa Latina sources from the organizing Committee of that event.</p>
Tue, 20 May 2008 11:05:40 -0300http://edta.radioteca.net/article/paraguay-president-on-visit-to-uruguay/ARGENTINA: BOLIVIAN RESIDENTS FOR REVOCATION REFERENDUMhttp://edta.radioteca.net/article/argentina-bolivian-residents-for-revocation-refere/
<p><span class="caps">BUENOS</span> <span class="caps">AIRES</span>, Argentina, Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 (<span class="caps">EDTA</span>) – Bolivian residents in Argentina announced Monday they want to exercise their right to popular vote as President Morales has set 10 August as the date for a recall referendum on whether he and regional governors should stay in office.</p>
<p>They demanded that Oscar Ortiz, Chamber of Senator’s head, passes a law allowing them to take part in polls like the revocation referendum, another on land, and on the Bolivian draft constitution.</p>
<p>They affirm that the Bolivia Electoral Code allows them, since 1999, to take part in the elections. Nevertheless, it is necessary a law regulating this right, a law that Bolivian lawmakers have not even discussed yet.</p>
Tue, 20 May 2008 04:05:37 -0300http://edta.radioteca.net/article/argentina-bolivian-residents-for-revocation-refere/FARC COMMANDER CALLS FOR DIALOGUEhttp://edta.radioteca.net/article/farc-commander-calls-for-dialogue/
<p><span class="caps">BOGOTA</span>, Colombia, Monday, May 19th, 2008 (EDTA/<span class="caps">CNN</span>) – The commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia&#8217;s Force 47 told reporters in Bogota Monday &#8212; a day after surrendering &#8212; that &#8220;the solution is not through war. There must be dialogue.&#8221;</p>
<p>Nelly Avila Moreno, 45, whose nom de guerre was Karina, said she and her longtime male companion made the decision jointly to abandon the <span class="caps">FARC</span> group, based in the jungle, at 5 a.m. Sunday.</p>
<p>She said pressure from Colombian soldiers had been key to their decision, and she called on her fellow rebels to follow her example.</p>
<p>&#8220;I invite them to change the sensibility that is among the guerrillas,&#8221; she said, seated by her companion, who said nothing during the news conference.</p>
<p>She also had a message for the Colombian people: &#8220;It is important to do something for peace in Colombia, and that need to do something is precisely one of my motivations.&#8221;</p>
<p>After 24 years with the <span class="caps">FARC</span>, Karina said she wants to reintegrate with society. &#8220;At this moment, what I am thinking about is reuniting with my family and with all of society,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>Karina said she had had no contact with the group&#8217;s leaders for the past two years. During that time, she said, &#8220;I was trying to stay alive.&#8221;</p>
<p>She said she knows nothing about the group&#8217;s leaders, because &#8220;everything in the <span class="caps">FARC</span> is very compartmentalized.&#8221;</p>
<p>Still, she did hear through the news media about the killing by another member of <span class="caps">FARC</span> of Ivan Rios, a member of the group&#8217;s central high command. &#8220;We suffered a very strong blow,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>She acknowledged that news led her to worry about the possibility that one of her fellow guerrillas might consider doing the same thing to her.</p>
<p>&#8220;A person has a lot of combatants alongside, but you don&#8217;t know what each one is thinking,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>Asked about news reports of guerrilla operations she may have participated in, Karina admitted to nothing. &#8220;They accuse me of a lot of things I wasn&#8217;t part of,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>Asked specifically about the killing of the father of President Alvaro Uribe in 1983, she said she did not know who carried out the act, and added, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have my hands stained in that deed.&#8221;</p>
<p>She said that with her surrender have come new fears about possible retribution from <span class="caps">FARC</span> loyalists, who consider her a traitor.</p>
Mon, 19 May 2008 05:05:40 -0300http://edta.radioteca.net/article/farc-commander-calls-for-dialogue/